Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and one of its most influential—and polarizing—political figures. Here’s a condensed history:<br /><br />Early Life & Military Service<br /><br />Born October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv, Israel, to historian Benzion Netanyahu.<br /><br />Grew up partly in the United States, giving him fluent English and an understanding of American politics.<br /><br />Served in Sayeret Matkal, Israel’s elite special forces unit, participating in high-risk missions, including the 1972 Sabena Flight 571 hijacking rescue.<br /><br />Education & Early Career<br /><br />Studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and briefly attended Harvard.<br /><br />Worked as a management consultant and later became Israel’s deputy chief of mission in Washington, D.C., and ambassador to the United Nations (1984–1988).<br /><br />Political Rise<br /><br />Elected to the Knesset in 1988 as a member of the Likud party.<br /><br />Served as Deputy Foreign Minister and then rose to Likud leadership.<br /><br />First Term as Prime Minister (1996–1999)<br /><br />Won a narrow election victory, becoming Israel’s youngest prime minister at age 46.<br /><br />Advocated for security-first policies in peace negotiations but signed the Wye River Memorandum with the Palestinians in 1998.<br /><br />Lost reelection to Ehud Barak in 1999.<br /><br />Return to Politics<br /><br />Served as Foreign Minister (2002–2003) and Finance Minister (2003–2005) under Ariel Sharon, implementing free-market reforms.<br /><br />Resigned over the Gaza disengagement plan in 2005 and regained Likud leadership.<br /><br />Second Era as Prime Minister (2009–2021)<br /><br />Returned to power in 2009 and became Israel’s longest-serving leader.<br /><br />Oversaw economic growth, improved Israel’s relations with some Arab states, and took a hard stance on Iran’s nuclear program.<br /><br />Signed the Abraham Accords (2020), normalizing ties with UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.<br /><br />Faced repeated corruption investigations and indictments on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges.<br /><br />Opposition & Comeback (2021–present)<br /><br />Lost power in 2021 to a diverse coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.<br /><br />Staged a comeback in late 2022, forming a right-wing government with religious and nationalist allies.<br /><br />His judicial reform plan sparked mass protests and deep political division in 2023.<br /><br />As of 2025, Netanyahu remains central in Israel’s political landscape, particularly amid ongoing conflict with Hamas and tensions with Iran.
